These headlines, and the accompanying articles, give you a hint at the hoity hoo-rah-rah Art World, er bubble, and Ryan’s ability to slice his part of the pie within such. And apparently a significant slice at that, according to “Sources”:

“There’s not one gallery of major significance that is not going to take an interest in what he’s doing,” the source said.

Now, besides Trecartin, and Brian Bress, most of the video artists here at AVA are “Free Agents”, and Ryans October to May dry representation spell is the norm for everyone else.

Which is a shame, not for the video makers, they’re genuine outlaw artists who’ll produce no matter what, but for the galleries. After a decade of viewing video art in both museums and art galleries in both U.S. and Europe, it’s easy to say that the work produced by the artists on this site are far more visually interesting and engaging for gallery presentation than much of what is, and has been, out there. And, as is with Trecartin’s work, the works from those here represent a far more relevant look towards modern day and beyond.

But video art being a strange thing to, ahem, “market”, it tends to take the second or third tier to the usual physical works . But Video Artists, some, tend to also produce such works, some which go along with the visuals, supplement, or are separate altogether (Ryan does create other works and it should be noted he is collaborating with artist Lizzie Fitch as part of the new representation, and I’m guessing more of the sculptural pieces will be produced as well along with the video works).

…the artists (Fitch/Trecartin) also forged a specific collaborative practice that has been responsible for a range of output: freestanding sculpture, musical compositions, and the sculptural theatres that “frame” Trecartin’s movies. Read more here.

Ryan’s new gallery rep owner, who runs another Gallery as well, has this to say:

“In one way, I don’t care whether Gallery 2 shows are profitable,” she said. “On the other hand, if I were to ever separate the idea of inspiration from the idea of the market,” which, in the vein of Félix González-Torres, she would never do normally, “I believe that collectors, along with the public, are making a true consensus on what’s significant.

“We want to be immortalized by art, and those generalizations about us, what we’re leaving behind to represent us and our time, have a relationship to money in that we value them. How do we value those things that are going to historicize us? So there has to be a sense of value, but that’s different from the market.” Full article here.

There’s a lot to respond to, and counter, on that note, but for another time.

We look forward to new work from the Ryan and Fitch collaboration. And what an enormous relief and refreshment it is to know, that even after all this “Art Bubble” talk of representation announcements and free agency and the measuring of monetary art worth, that when all is said and done in that nostalgic world, Ryan will quickly turn around and enter the more relevant world, by transferring a file and clicking an upload button, making his work available, in full, for everyone to view for free.